Gluten Hates Me

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Kale Chips and a GIVEAWAY!

Kale is gorgeous. I love big, fresh bouquets of kale, but surprisingly I’m not a huge fan of the taste. I had only ever tried to cook it in a pan with a little bit of oil and garlic, and it always turns out too bitter for my taste. I’m more of a baby bok choy fan. But I knew I was not going to give up on kale. I want to find a way to enjoy all vegetables.

Thank God for an awesome blog by a sweet girl named Kath. Her blog is entitled Kath Eats Real Food, and she’s adorable. Not only is she a fellow Carolinian, but she’s also an inspiration. Much like me, she experienced weight gain in college, but through hard work and a new outlook on food, she has been able to take it off and keep it off. Eating healthy is not a a fad “diet”. It’s a necessity for me. When I eat crap, I feel like crap.

Kath has a neat way of cooking kale, that she claims is great. She calls them Kale Chips. I’m not sure if it’s her original recipe, but she eats them often and her readers make them too. They all agree they’re great; so I gave them a try.

They’re great! Crispy just like chips. A teensy bit bitter, but not enough to deter my taste buds. As you may remember, I have a wonky stove, so a few of my chips were on the well done side. To make them yourself, tear your kale into chip size pieces, and lay them out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray and apply a liberal amount of salt. I used Jane’s Crazy Salt. Kath sprinkles hers with parmesan. Check her blog for cooking times; I had to use broil! :) Bake the chips until they barely begin to crisp and brown. Served with a side of gluten free ketchup, yum!

Max likes them too.

AND NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY!

The weather was chilly in my small coastal town today, but this past week the weather has been beautiful! Upper 60’s and sunny with a cool breeze. The warm week reminded me of spring and summer, and one of my favorite cookbooks: easy summer food.

This cookbook not only has great recipes, but it also has AHHHMAZING pictures! I LOVE food photography!

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

Write a comment on this post with your favorite summer food and you’ll be entered for a chance to win your own copy of this great cookbook. I’ll use the random number generator to pick a winner. You have until Friday at noon to post, so tell your friends!

Whew, this week is confusing…and long! I’m off ALL DAY from work tomorrow! I’m doing a class this Saturday to teach folks how to start seedlings, and then co-hosting a wine reception to introduce our co-op’s new wine Fly the Coop. So instead of my typical Monday-Friday work week, my Tuesday will be my Monday and Thursday will be my Hump Day and I’ll celebrate TGISaturday.

I think I had Kale once, but not sure. Might have to go look for it or possible grow it this year.Love cookbooks!!!Our favorite summer meal is BBQ'd steak, baked potatoes and stirfried veggies - all done on the bbq.

I love everything about spring and summer,esp the fresh crunchy foods. My favorite is a BLT to which I add strips of red bell peppers and some zippy pimento cheese. Serve this bodacious sandwich on wholegrain bread (GF of course), accompanied by a tall glass of sweet tea with strawberries. Oh I can taste summer now!!

Summer is my favorite season! I'm always looking for grilling recipes. My favorite thing to grill is kabobs. Pork, shrimp, veggies, with any kind of sauce that I choose for that day...My mouth is watering. Thanks for the chance!Bethbethanyev@gmail.com

Try kale this way: Tear it into small peices and massage it with olive oil. Add a little (wheat-free) tamari and some lemon juice. Serve as a salad with sliced avocado, salt, and pepper. Delicious. This is what hooked my husband and me on kale.